Travis County

Ozone nonattainment’s impact: Chris Searles has an enightening post at Burnt Orange Report about the “Quit Coal by 2014” scenario for Austin. He quotes Travis County Commissioner Karen Hubner, who “recently mapped out ozone nonattainment’s economic impacts to Austinites, saying: ‘The implications are huge and will cost taxpayers a lot of money.[Link]

“First, going into nonattainment would subject us to a slew of new rules and regulations that could hang over our heads for up to 20 years after we return to air quality compliance. These regulations would create a lag effect on everything, from higher energy bills for households to creation of new businesses, as well as more expensive transportation projects (that you finance).

Second, “Nonattainment would require us to cede local control of transportation projects to state and federal oversight regulations. Conforming to their regulations would create longer construction times and higher construction costs.

Third, “… our businesses could be subject to much harsher oversight than they currently enjoy… Nonattainment regulations would subject power plants to higher emissions standards, resulting in higher electricity bills. Gasoline might have to be reformulated before it can be used to fuel our vehicles, and your car would be required to pass stringent emissions testing.”